1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to television technology, and more particularly, to a system, assembly, and method for viewing television-based programming or similar other visual material such as photographs or movies in three-dimensions without the requirement of special formatting of the visual material, special electronic equipment or three-dimensional eyewear or other user-worn apparatus.
2. Description of Prior Art
Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopic or three-dimensional (3-D) imaging) refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two (2) two-dimensional, offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of the two-dimensional, offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of three-dimensional depth. Four general strategies have been used to accomplish stereoscopic imaging, three of which employ specialized eyewear, and one of which requires no eyewear.
Those requiring special eyewear are: (1) recording and projecting simultaneously left and right images through filters of different colors, and providing the viewer with glasses using colored lenses of filters to allow each eye to see only the portion of the dual picture taken with the appropriate camera. (2) recording and projection of two distinct images, made by using dual cameras, displaying the left and right images alternately on the television of movie screen, and providing a means, such as electronic shutter glasses or circularly polarized glasses to direct separate left and right camera images to the left and right eye of the viewer.
(3) Utilizing ordinary television pictures taken with a single camera, but shown on a modified television set with the capability of presenting viewing frames at at least twice the normal rate (120 Hz vs. 60 Hz) with internal software which presents every second frame altered by a very slight horizontal offset, which simulates much of the difference the two eyes would see if viewing the same scene from an intermediate distance. Again, shutter glasses are used to permit the left eye to see on the unaltered scene, while the right eye sees only the slightly shifted scene.
The method of permitting three-dimensional effects without special eyewear in special cameras and hand held devices utilized two cameras, and produces two images internally. These are viewed on a screen which is composed of tiny vertical sections arranged at such an angle to each other that the left eye can only see vertical elements on which the left picture is visible, and the right eye can see only the picture intended for the right eye.
No special glasses are worn by the viewer, but the technique is only usable when the distance from the viewer to the complex screen is on the order of 20 inches or so. At closer distances both eyes can see both sets of vertical elements, and at much greater distances, both eyes see the same set of elements. In either of these cases there is no three-dimensional effect created, so the method is not directly applicable to large screen television sets or movie theater presentations.
The art of enabling viewers to view motion pictures without the requirement for, or the use of specialized eyewear reportedly dates from the 1930's. In this regard, the reader is directed to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0103546, authored by Collender et al., who provide a fairly decent historical synopsis for the history of glasses-free three-dimensional motion picture technology without glasses. The reader is thus invited to inspect said publication for further information regarding the historical development of three-dimensional motion picture viewing independent of eyewear. Other patent-related disclosures illustrative of the pertinent art are briefly described hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,419,901 ('901 patent), which issued to Lehnhoff-Wyld, discloses a Device to Obtain Stereoscopic Effects in Cinematographic Projections. The device incorporates the use of a spherical mirror, a screen arranged between the focus and the center of the mirror, and a projecting apparatus. The screen is inclined to reflect on the concave mirror the image projected by said apparatus and to obtain a true and large and not reversed image of the scene projected on the screen, which screen comprises a convex surface to correct the deformations of the horizontal lines and other distortions of the image projected.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,501,230 ('230 patent), which issued to Johnson, discloses a Three-Dimensional Display System. The '230 patent describes a three-dimensional viewing system which has a viewing surface which diffuses incident of light rays in a vertical direction only. A plurality of images is projected from image sources onto the viewing surface simultaneously such that the images are superimposed. Each image is a view of the same photographed scene but represents the view as seen from a different vertical plane through the scene. Each image source is displaced from the viewing surface by a different distance, the source farthest away from the viewing surface representing the view of the scene from the greatest distance such that as a viewer moves from side to side of the viewing surface the elements shown by the different image sources will appear to move with respect to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,835 ('835 patent), which issued to Adler, discloses a Three Dimensional Cinema and Novel Projector System Therefor. The '835 patent describes certain three dimensional viewing achieved through use of multiple lens camera with included erector lens which yield a multiplicity of side by side medium-carried-images with provisions for some overlap and subsequent projection of said images by means of a plurality of spaced parabolic mirror reflectors on opposite sides of a diffusion screen, said reflectors being optically focused and mutually arranged to yield an ultimate, reflected, virtual image of three dimensional character over a relatively wide viewing range occupied by a plurality of viewers. System adapted for home television or commercial movie (cinema) projection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,836 ('836 patent), which issued to Craig, discloses a Compatible 3D Video Display Using Commercial Television Broadcast Standards and Equipment. The '836 patent describes a video display operating at standard commercial television broadcast sweep rates, line spacing and/or pixel density. An over and under split screen presentation of a stereoscopic pair of images permits three dimensional viewing by audiences of any size using simple optical deviation elements mounted in a pair of spectacles.
Besides being compatible with broadcast standards, the display is compatible with the format already used in producing 3D motion picture films permitting unaltered broadcast of such films and/or direct transfer to video tape with existing equipment. The recorded video can then be viewed by said optical deviation elements. The final display, when viewed stereoscopically, exhibits an aspect ratio of more than twice the width to height which is about the same as motion picture screens and well suited for display of sporting events regularly broadcast on television. The said display is compatible with normal viewing without the stereoscopic impression, by the unaided eyes and seen in full color with normal clarity and definition.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,188 ('188 patent), which issued to Kuts discloses a Method and Apparatus for Generating Three Dimensional Light Patterns. The '188 patent describes a method and apparatus for generating a three-dimensional image comprising one or more laser beams directed at one or more mirrors. Each mirror is flexibly attached to the vibrating portion of a transducer such as a speaker, the transducer being coupled to a signal source. Suitable signal sources include radio and television tuners, CD players, tape decks, VCRs, musical instruments with suitable signal outputs, and signal generators. The laser beam(s) reflected by the mirror(s) is directed at a rotating viewing surface, the viewing surface being semi-transparent. Due to the rotation of the viewing surface, a three-dimensional image is formed that can be viewed from multiple angles.
United States Patent Application No. 2002/0113944, which was authored by Youn, describes an apparatus for displaying a 3-dimensional image comprising left and right plane image display devices for simultaneously outputting left and right plane images received with respect to a same object from the left and right sides to a screen, left and right image inverting apparatuses for inverting original left and right images and outputting the inverted images to the left and right plane image display devices, a left reflection mirror, on which an image output from the left plane image display device is incident at a predetermined angle and by which the left image is reflected at the same angle, so that the left image is perceived by a left eye of a viewer, and a right reflection mirror, on which an image output from the right plane image display device is incident at a predetermined angle and by which the right image is reflected at the same angle, so that the right image is perceived by a right eye of a viewer.
Thus, unlike the conventional 3-D display apparatus having a complicated structure but no general usability, a 3-D image can be easily realized without additional apparatuses by arranging the two plane image display devices and image inverting apparatuses to the left and right sides and the reflection mirrors in the middle therebetween and adjusting the incident and reflection angles of the reflection mirrors.
The Youn invention is applicable to hand held devices which the viewer can comfortably use only within a narrow range of distances between his eyes and the screen, and the viewer must be very nearly opposite the center of the screen for the three-dimensional effect to be perceived. Thus, Youn is not applicable to commercial television or movie theater viewing.
United States Patent Application No. 2003/0058209, which was authored by Balogh, describes a method and apparatus for the presentation of three-dimensional images, where light beams with appropriate intensity and optionally with appropriate color are projected in different viewing directions and thereby creating a three-dimensional image. The light beams are created with a light emitting surface comprising cyclically addressable light sources. The surface is positioned behind a screen comprising pixels with a controllable light transmission or reflection.
The light beams emitted from different light sources illuminate the individual pixels from different directions. According to the invention, the distance between the light sources is larger than the distance between the pixels, and the light sources are positioned so much away from the pixels so that the number of pixels illuminated by one light source is greater than the number of light sources illuminating one pixel.
United States Patent Application No. 2005/0001982, which was authored by Youn, describes a system for providing a three dimensional image from at least two plane images. The system includes first and second image display devices substantially simultaneously outputting first and second plane images, each plane image produced at different positions with respect to an object.
The system also includes first and second mirrors configured such that the output first and second plane images are incident to the first and second mirrors and reflected in a direction, respectively. The system provides for either manual or automatic adjustment of the distance between the first and second mirrors such that the incident angle and reflection angle of the plane images are maintained to be substantially identical after each adjustment.
Collender et al. describe subject matter in United States Patent Application No. 2007/0103546 that is perhaps the most pertinent as compared to the subject invention. In an attempt to improve upon the state of the art, Collender et al. describe a movie theater that includes a screen located between the front and back of the movie theater, a substantially spherically concave mirror proximal the front of the movie theater; and a viewing volume located between the screen and the mirror such that each observer in the viewing volume can see in their respective pair of eyes a reflection in the mirror of a scene that is displayed on the screen.
Further, any observer at substantially all locations within the viewing volume can see a three dimensional view of the scene displayed on the screen. For each observer a substantially identical reflection from the substantially spherical concave mirror of the moving pictures on the substantially spherical convex screen will be received at the observer's retinas, and substantially all of the observers can see a three dimensional view of the moving pictures.
It will be seen from an inspection of the prior art that the prior art perceives a need for a system, assembly, and method for enabling a television watcher to watch or view three-dimensional television-based visual displays without specialized eyewear and from state of the art television systems that display visual material in two-dimensions. In other words, the is a perceived need in the art to provide users of standard two-dimensional televisions with a means for viewing visual displays upon said two-dimensional televisions in three-dimensions without requiring the producer of the television programs, or the manufacturer of the television set to use any special design or techniques, nor the viewer to don specialized eyewear.